NFL notes: 3 held in death of Taylor

MIAMI -- Police have detained at least three people in the Fort Myers area for questioning in the death of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.

A law enforcement official in Lee County confirmed the men from the Fort Myers area were in custody, but requested anonymity because the investigation is being handled by Miami-Dade County police.

Miami-Dade police would not confirm if anyone was in custody for the shooting death of Taylor, who was attacked at his Miami area home Monday and died a day later. Police only said detectives were in the Fort Myers area for an unspecified case. The suspects include two teenagers and a man in his 20s, all from the Fort Myers area, the paper reported.

Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Packers quarterback Brett Favre is expected to start against the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 9 and keep alive his record streak for consecutive starts. He injured his elbow in Thursday's 37-27 loss to Dallas. The streak, which dates to 1992, stands at 249 games (269 including playoffs) and is a league record for quarterbacks.

Bucs

Quarterback Jeff Garcia returned to practice on a limited basis Friday, providing the team some hope that he might be able to play in Sunday's game at New Orleans.

Falcons

MINNEAPOLIS -- Michael Vick should be allowed to keep nearly $20 million in bonus money even though his NFL career is on hold for his role in a dogfighting operation, a lawyer for the players' union argued Friday.

Dolphins

DAVIE -- Miami Dolphins middle linebacker Zach Thomas has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the New York Jets, the fifth consecutive game he has missed because of migraines.

Niners

Quarterback Alex Smith might be close to resolving the issue of how best to treat the injury, and that could include the possibility of not playing again in 2007, ESPN.com reported.

Smith told Bay Area reporters on Thursday that, even after nearly two weeks of rest, he still can't raise his right arm above his shoulder without discomfort.

He will visit early next week with an orthopedist, and surgery remains a viable option for the top overall selection from the 2005 draft.